


Bushel And A Peck

by Jathis



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Apples, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: Stanley does odd jobs for people around the village. Sometimes he’s paid in money and sometimes he’s paid in food or other supplies.And sometimes he’s given a big bushel of apples





	Bushel And A Peck

“I don’t know what I would do without your help during the harvest! I can’t afford to hire help and my husband planted so many of these apple trees…”

Stanley just shook his head, offering the older woman a soft smile. “I like helping you collect your produce, madame. It’s never any trouble at all.”

“Still...I do feel badly about not being able to give proper payment.” She looked at the bushels of apples Stanley had spent the afternoon filling for her. “Take one of these,” she said.

“I couldn’t…”

“It’s not like it’ll affect how much I make selling them. Please or I shall feel terrible about using you.”

Stanley laughed but nodded, holding to his hands in defeat. “Okay! Okay...merci for the apples, madame. I’ll make sure Dick and Tom eat something besides meat!” He picked up the bushel, placing it on his shoulder to hold it there with one arm, keeping the other free.

“You’re so strong, Stanley. Why haven’t you found yourself a wife yet?”

He blushed a little, shrugging at the question. “Perhaps I’m far too ugly for one,” he laughed. He turned and started to leave before she could continue the awkward conversation, cheeks burning a dull red at the thought.

Stanley knew that he was of the age when young men were supposed to be courting young women. Unfortunately, Stanley had absolutely no interest in doing anything with a woman like that. He highly doubted that he could just start courting a man and everyone would allow it. He spent time with the Bimbettes and allowed Tom and Dick to believe this was him trying to court them to get the two to leave him be. 

What he was actually doing was trying on different dresses and makeup styles, giggling brightly as the girls treated him like a little brother they could play with.

“Maybe I should ask one of them to kiss me in public,” he murmured to himself. Surely a kiss would lift some of the pressure on him to find a wife. It would at least make it look like he was trying to find one anyway.

His stomach growled. Stanley sighed, stopping and setting the bushel down. He supposed he could have one apple now. He doubted Tom and Dick would have any and he could only make so many things with fresh apples. He wondered if perhaps he could give away the rest to someone but there wasn’t anyone who was really struggling for food in the village and…

He spotted a figure near the edge of the woods at the border of the village. He frowned as he bit into an apple, holding it between his teeth before picking up the bushel to see who the figure was. Recognition came to him as he got closer.

Agathe.

Quickly Stanley set his load down again. This gave him a chance to take a proper bite out of his apple, enjoying the tart juice on his tongue. He took as many apples as would fit into the pockets of his coat and vest and then picked it back up, hugging the bushel to his hip.

“Agathe! Agathe!” he called out. The homeless woman stopped, turning to watch as Stanley trotted up to her. “I...um...I don’t really need an entire bushel of apples and I thought you could use them?” Stanley offered. He smiled a little as he set it down at her feet. “They’re fresh picked. Flavorful too,” he assured her, holding up his own partially eaten apple to serve as an example of this statement.

The homeless woman stared at the apples. Slowly she looked back up at Stanley, tilting her head to the side.

Stanley shifted on his feet. He hoped he hadn’t offended the woman. To be fair she was a beggar and he had seen her asking for alms before in the village proper. So what could be the problem?

“Oh! Uh…” Stanley blushed, clearing his throat. Of course, how could he expect one painfully thin beggar woman to carry an almost full bushel of apples by herself? He held his half-eaten apple in his teeth again, juice dribbling down his chin as he picked up the load again. He offered Agathe a smile around the fruit, hoping she understood.

She offered him a small smile and started to walk again. She led Stanley through a barely used path off of the road, bringing him to where she made her home. Her home was mostly the roots of a dead tree and whatever leaves and branches she could find and wave together.

He set the bushel down where she indicated, clearing his throat a little. He knew it wasn’t fair how Agathe was treated. Getting married shouldn’t be the only thing that keeps a woman from living like this. He had heard Gaston speaking cruelly about her on occasion but he found himself unable to even consider such a thing.

“I’m sure she won’t mind the bushel,” Stanley said. “You could always bring it to my home when it’s empty and I can bring it back for you.”

“Merci,” Agathe said softly, staring intensely at Stanley’s face.

The young man smiled, tipping his hat politely to her before taking his leave. He didn’t want her to see how nervous she made him. Why did she always stare at people like that?

Agathe watched as Stanley left. Her owl came fluttering down, landing on her shoulder. “He has a good heart,” she said, picking up an apple, “he gets it from his parents. Perhaps one day he’ll see them again.”   
  



End file.
